"Packaging is this unique opportunity to meet consumers where they are and to have an impact on climate.”
—Deanna Bratter, DanoneNorth America
Part 1: Addressing the Achilles heel
Highlights from introduction by Lara Dickinson, OSC2:
- Packaging is a huge part of looking toward the future of sustainability.
- The session explores packaging-related emission issues and case studies of brands that are taking action toward redesigning their packaging to be more sustainable.
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Part 2: Mainstreaming sustainability
Highlights from Prashant Jagtap, Trayak:
- Prashant Jagtap, Trayak, discusses what mainstreaming sustainability looks like and how companies can design and manufacture their entire product portfolio using sustainable strategies.
- How to balance damage rate and excess packaging. Optimizing package design and sourcing materials sustainability by increasing post-consumer recyclable (PCR) content, using bio-based materials and phasing out harmful materials.
- Using life-cycle analysis (LCA) to determine your company’s carbon footprint, incorporate feedback in early in the design process, and calculate company wide impact for global reporting initiative, investors and stakeholders.
- The top eight indicators that Trayak measures to give companies a complete look at environmental impact of packaging.
- Example case study that details the process and the challenges that a company could face when trying to reach its sustainability goals.
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Part 3: Breakthrough innovations in plant-based packaging
Highlights from Deanna Bratter, Danone North America:
- “Packaging is this unique opportunity to meet consumers where they are and to have an impact on climate.”
- How Danone North Americais looking at a broad value chain approach and bringing packaging to life.
- Five main strategies to building a sustainable, circular economy of packaging
- Breakthrough innovation: Plant powered bottles made of 80 percent plant material that is also recyclable.
- Consumer education around recycling and connecting with consumers about sustainability.
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Part 4: Incremental steps towards impact
Highlights from Jane Franch, Numi Organic Tea:
- Numi’s story of sustainability.
- Sustainable packaging milestones of Numi Organic Tea throughout the last 20 years.
- Why starting today and taking incremental steps towards redesigning your packaging is essential.
- Free online tools and resources for measuring environmental impact.
- Numi’s priorities: Plant based, non-GMO, compostable.
- Innovations in compostable tea bag wrappers.
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Part 5: Panel discussion and Q&A
Highlights:
- The best path for companies that are first starting out is to collect the data to determine your current carbon footprint.
- Don’t let perfection stop you from doing good.
- How to curb costs while making changes in your current manufacturing and co-packer facilities.
- The potential for flexible packaging moving forward.
- Safeguards in data tools addressing petroleum-based materials having LCA advantages over bio-based materials.
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Part 6: Panel discussion and Q&A
Highlights:
- The importance of labeling that educates consumers and makes it clear that the packaging is helping to fight climate change.
- How far along are consumers with sustainable packaging?
- Businesses are responsible and hold the power to drive change with consumers, manufacturers and infrastructure.
- How do we help companies just starting out in developing their sustainability programs?
- Suggestions around assessment of packaging materials for toxicity and chemical leeching into products.
This session—It's A Wrap: Reducing the Climate Impact of Your Packaging—was recorded at Natural Products Expo West 2018.